Drowning
by hottietom
Summary: Clark just wanted to spend a day out in the woods. Who would have guessed that this, this, this EVENT would have happened?
1. Chapter 1

Part 1/6

Green. Green everywhere. Green trees, greens plants. Everywhere Clark looked it was green. It was Saturday, and Clark had decided to explore the woods near Crater Lake. He kept his distance from the lake, knowing what was in it. But, he was still enjoying himself. He had left that morning, telling his mother where he was headed, than ran off to the woods. No use for the truck. His parents would need it more than him. It was incredibly hot that day. Even for him. He didn't sweat, but he was still very hot. He had decided against his usual plaid, and worn a basic white shirt with his jeans. Tennis shoes instead of boots.

For two hours Clark wandered through the trees. A couple of times he spotted some deer. They always ran off. Once he had even switched into "light-speed", and watched it that way. About the only way to watch deer since they were so skittish.

He was following what looked like a little path, and found a bunch of overgrown bushes. He pushed through them, and one sharp branch tore a small hole through his shirt. Lucky for him of course, he had his powers. If he hadn't, boy would he have been scratched up when he got home.

He finally broke through the brush, and was surprised when he found a small lake in front of him. He was sure it wasn't Crater Lake, as it was much larger than this one. The water was bluish/green, and seemed to be calling to him. It didn't take long for him to decide he was going swimming.

He took off his shoes, and socks. He pealed off his shirt, and exposed his abs. He unbuckled his belt, and pulled off his pants. Just in his boxers, he headed to what seemed the deep side of the lake.

He took a breath, and dove in, the refreshing water felt wonderful. He swam deeper, when he started feeling ill. He had a cramp in his right calf, and than his arms started to hurt. He swam up to the surface quickly, wondering what was wrong. Thanks to his poor sense of direction, he was headed further towards the center of the lake, the deepest part.

The closer to the surface he got, the worse he felt. His whole body was pounding. He needed air. He could barely move.

_What is wrong?_ Clark thought, finally breaking surface. He gulped in air as fast as he could, but quickly went back underwater against his will. A flow of random thoughts filled his head.

_I've got to get out of here. There had to have been Kryptonite! I'm so stupid! I should have checked!_

_I wonder if anyone will look for me? I told Mom I would be gone all day._

_Chloe or Lana? What about Lois?_

_Girls? Why am I thinking about girls at a time like this!_

A flash of white hot pain interrupted his thoughts, and he couldn't help but gasp. Water quickly filled his mouth, and flowed towards his lungs. Before he could even recover from that, the pain returned, and this time stayed. If he had been above water he would have been soaked in sweat in just that short period of time. He was about to pass out, when he again was above the surface. He tried to take in a deep breath, but went into a coughing fit. After a couple seconds he could finally breath semi-normally. Clark raised his hand to brush his hair out of his eyes, and when he touched his forehead it was on fire. He couldn't remember having such a fever.

He took another breath, but was pulled back under. He tried swimming towards shore. But, he kept going further down, instead of forward. Occationally he would reach surface enough to catch his breath. It happened right when he had have a breath mostly. He could tell he was slowly moving closer to shore.

The last thing he remembered was pulling himself half way out of the water. The second before he blacked out, a green glow caught his eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2/6

Pain was what he woke to. Pain was what filled his head, and pain was what shot through him every time he breathed. He tried to open his eyes, but had the oddest sensation. He could feel himself make the movement. But, his world was still dark. He could hear birds chirping. He knew it wasn't night yet.

Than it hit him. He was blind. For the second time in his life he was blind. And, this time he didn't think he was going to get his sight back.

Another thing felt strange. His lower half felt extremely cold. He realized that he hadn't completely gotten out of the lake when he passed out. He tried to pull himself out, but was too weak. His legs were dead weight.

A crisp breeze blew across the lake, across Clark's bare body, and making him shiver. Normally he would have enjoyed it, since it was such a hot summer. But, now it just sent a chill down his spine.

Clark could hear leaves being walked on. _Maybe I was out longer than I thought. Maybe they are looking for me already._ He prayed he hadn't imagined that sound. It gave him hope.

He heard it again. Louder this time. Some one was coming closer. Clark gathered up enough strength to give out a cry for help. "Somebody! Help!" He knew he wasn't very loud. Barely above a normal tone. But, it was the loudest he could go at this point.

The rustling sound came closer. He could hear someone walking closer to him. But, he didn't hear anyone talking. Just, heavy panting. Than, something soft brushed across his arm. Soft, and furry. _Oh sht_ Clark thought, when he heard a low growl. Whatever animal it was kept sniffing him. It stopped by his shoulder. _Oh please. Please. Please don't hurt me. Oh God. What is it going to do to me?_

Than it happened. He felt the animal's jaw snap together around his shoulder. If anyone was around, he was positive they would have heard his screams. He could feel the creature tug on his arm, trying to pull on it. He could have sworn he heard a rip. But, if he had it was drowned out by another scream.

The _thing_, as Clark came to think of it, continued this for a full ten minutes. Ten minutes which felt like ten hours. His arm was numb, but he could still feel the pain. Than, finally it stopped. It must have given up. But, even though it had stopped, Clark's arm didn't feel any better. His shoulder was still burning every time he breathed.

_All you wanted was to just go for a hike. Instead, you almost drown, get stuck half way in a lake of what might as well be liquid Kryptonite, go blind, and get attacked by a wild animal. What **else ** could go wrong?_

He shouldn't have asked that question. Because, maybe if he hadn't, he wouldn't have gotten the terrible answer.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the shortness!

Part 3/6

The blood is what scared him more than anything. The blood that poured out of his arm, pooling around him, and soaked into his skin. The blood that made him shiver just thinking about it. He could feel it rushing out of him.

Lots of people are squeamish around blood. Clark would never say he had been before. He had seen his fair share of blood, but hardly ever his own. Sure, he had been shot. Yes, he had been stabbed. But, those were the only times that he had ever seen so much of his own blood. Ever.

Now, it was different. The blood just kept coming, and it seemed like it would never end. He was almost glad he couldn't see what was coming out. It would send chills down his spine.

His right arm was extremely numb. He couldn't move or feel his fingers at all. He worked up enough courage to see if he could bend his elbow, and when he did he regretted it. White hot pain surged through his arm. Up through his shoulder, and into his head, leaving a migraine.

During all this, something else was happening. Clark couldn't see the clouds. But, they were rolling in. Dark, massive clouds slowly darkening the day, until they were completely blocking out the sun. You might have thought it was dusk instead of only around noon. The temperature was dropping, and the wind picked up, making Clark shiver.

His legs were especially cold, as they were still in the water. Still in contact with the deadly water. It was draining his energy. He could barely keep his eyes open. Not that it would have mattered anyways.

Clark felt something cold hit his hand. And, again on his chest. Than, once again on his chin. iWhat the he-/i His thoughts were cut off as a heavy rain shower just poured onto him and everything surrounding him. The drops echoed as they hit the lake, making the water choppy.

It was freezing. Any other day he wouldn't have minded having a good shower. It was good for the farm, and it cooled things off. But, now it was different. He knew he would probably get even sicker than he already was.

The rain stung his wound, making it seem on fire. It pounded it, and showed no mercy. It dug into his flesh, and made him cry out in pain. That, combined with the kryptonite draining him of energy, the loss of blood, and the agonizing migraine finally took its toll.

Clark gasped as he could feel something crawl up his throat. He turned his head over to his left, and groaned as his right shoulder was pulled slightly. Before he could think of anything else, he stated heaving. He couldn't stop it. After ten minutes, he had, unfortunately, been reacquainted with his breakfast. He gasped a few times, trying to get his breath back. Exhausted, he fell back to the ground, jostling his shoulder. Tears filled his eyes as he tried not to cry from the pain.

iI want to go home./i He thought. iWhy did I ever think to come here? Why did I have to jump into that lake? Why? Why, why, why/i That single word played through his head for at least an hour. The rain never letting up the entire time. Pounding him. Drenching him. Stinging his shoulder. He finally just let go. Welcoming unconsciousness. He couldn't take the pain anymore. It was too much.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4/6

Brrrrrring

Brrrrrring

Brrrrrring

Clark shot up, the sheets on the bed covered in sweat. He looked around the room, taking in shaky breaths. iWhat the hell/i He was lying in a bed that had a blood red blanket, with matching sheets. The walls were dark as night, and the floors were old, uneven wooden boards. It seemed almost everything was covered in dust.

Brrrrrring

Brrrrrring

His foggy mind finally realized a phone was ringing. There was a decade old steel cart next to the bed. An old-fashioned dial phone sat on it, covered in cobwebs. iWhere am I? Wasn't I just at the lake/i He glanced at his shoulder. It was fine. No blood. No teeth marks. It than registered in his mind that he could see. He had been blind before. iWhat is going on/i

Brrrrrring

Brrrrrring

A window was in the far corner. He almost didn't see it, it was so dark outside. A clock hung on the wall. Clark squinted his eyes trying to read it. 3:15. It was three in the morning. He looked around more. There didn't seem to be anything modern at all in the room. Nothing digital. Not even a light.

Brrrrrring

Brrrrrring

He looked back at the phone. iGuess I better answer it…/i He reached over and picked up the phone. The dust on it clung to his fingers. He lifted it to his ear, the mouth piece curving up towards his lips. "Hello?" He whispered.

A raspy, yet familiar voice answered back. "I know."

Clark froze. A chill ran down his back. Goosebumps raised on every inch of his skin. He gulped. "Kn-know what?"

"Please, Mr. Kent. Don't insult my intelligence. I don't insult yours. You know what I'm talking about. But, if I must spell it out to you, than here you go. I know about your abilities. I know about your origins."

He knew his secret. bLionel Luthor/b knew his secret. Of all the people in the world to find out, it had to be him.

"Enjoy your stay, because you won't be as comfortable as you are now for much longer."

Than all he heard was a click, and a dial tone. He took in a shaky breath, and placed the receiver back on the base.

What was he going to do? Lionel knew. And from what he was saying, he was coming. Clark ran to the door, finding it locked. He pulled the door off it's hinges, but stopped short when the all too familiar ache from Kryptonite started in the pit of his stomach. There was an old bookshelf sitting across the hall, filled to the brim with glowing meteor rocks.

He collapsed onto the floor with a grunt. He still didn't know what was happening. Had everything at the lake been a dream? If so, it was the most real dream he had ever experienced. He could almost feel the flesh being torn off his arm. Shuddering, he took a deep breath.

The Kryptonite poisoning was getting worse. His energy was draining. His lungs were getting heavier, making it hard to breathe. His normal reaction was made ten times worse due to the huge amount of meteor in front of him.

He stiffened when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. "Perfect." He muttered. Grunting, he turned his head to see Lionel approaching him.

"Oh, Mr. Kent. Did I fail to mention not to open your door? Oh, well. You were going to have to get near this stuff anyway." He motioned to three men that were a few feet away. "Take him. You know what to do."

Clark tried to resist, but in his weakened state he was no match to the large men. They picked him up, and carried him down the hallway. He thought that maybe, just maybe he could get away from the rocks. But, as they turned a corner, there was another shelf with just as much of the deadly stuff.

He felt like screaming. They had stopped right in front of the Kryptonite. His veins were turning green, and crawling up his body. All he could manage was a low groan. Lionel turned to face him. "Enjoy your comfort Mr. Kent. It's about to get much worse." He said with a smirk.

iHow much worse can this get/i They walked through a large black door. Inside was the worst thing he could ever see. The room was massive, and filled to the brim with Kryptonite. There was what seemed to be a walk-way through it, and Lionel's henchmen proceeded in carrying him through the room.

It was torture. Pure, simple torture. It was the only word that could describe it. As his energy was drained at such a massive speed, he vaguely saw some one open another door. As soon as they walked through, he felt better. But, only slightly. Enough to not lose consciousness.

It appeared to be a lead room. The men dropped him right in the middle of it. His head smacked against the cool concrete. "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Lionel waved the men away. "Mr. Kent. It would seem that you don't enjoy my hospitality. I'm hurt." He felt a shoe connect with his side, as Lionel kicked him. The man walked over to a large table. Clark couldn't see what was on it, but he had a gut feeling he wouldn't like whatever it was.

Lionel continued to talk to him from across the room. "I'm going to ask you questions. You will answer. If you don't, or if you lie, you will regret it. Is that clear?"

All Lionel received was an icy stare. "Call that strike one. If you don't respond for two more times, than you shall see just how bad your punishment will be. Now, Clark, why does your blood raise the dead?"

Clark just stared at him shocked. "I told you I knew everything. And, that is now strike two. Last chance Mr. Kent." Lionel crouched down beside Clark. He had something behind his back, but Clark couldn't see what it was.

"Why are you here? Why did you come to Earth?"

Clark took a deep breath. "I'm not telling you banything/b."

"Strike three. You're out Mr. Kent." Lionel pulled a gun out from behind him. He raised it so that it was pointing straight at Clark's head.

"No!"

"Yes."

He pulled the trigger.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: One chap, and an epilogue to go!

5/6

Clark squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the bullet to hit. Waiting for the loud sound of the gunshot echoing off the walls. For the metal to slam into his forehead, forcing it's way towards his brain. For the blood to pour down his face. And, for the blackness that was going to come.

It didn't come.

Clark opened one eye just to see what happened. Lionel's smirk was what he saw. "W-what? I, y-you…"

"Please, don't stutter Mr. Kent. It's quite annoying. And, if you must know this pistol isn't loaded. But, I will inform you that I do have some that are. And, next time I won't be afraid to use it. Is that clear?"

Clark nodded. He was still too shocked to say anything.

"Verbal responses are highly recommended Mr. Kent. I'm sure you don't want to find out the consequences if you don't."

Clark gulped. "How did I get here?"

Lionel gave him an odd look. "Surely you would remember. Do you not? Well, seeing as you were very much out of it, I shouldn't be surprised. You were asleep, and while you were unconscious I had my men come in. To make sure you didn't wake up, I had them drug you. How did it work you might ask? Well, it was a simple sedative mixed with Kryptonite." He paused, taking in Clark's reaction. "Yes, Kryptonite. Mr. Kent, I would be very appreciative if you didn't seem so surprised whenever I mention something you have tried to keep secret. Now, as I was saying it was mixed with Kryptonite, and it seems you didn't take to it very well. From what I could tell you had quite the nightmare. On the way over here you were thrashing around a lot."

iIt was a dream? All that pain was a dream? The water, the animal, the rain…/i None of it happened, yet Clark under any other circumstances would have sworn it had. It had been too real. The teeth digging into his flesh, the rain pounding into the open wound. The Kryptonite flowing through his veins. No, it couldn't simply be just a sedative mixed with meteor. It had to be more.

"You're lying. That wouldn't make me have a nightmare like that. It was too real to be a simple dream." It had to be. Clark would never dream of anything like that. Ever.

"My, what would make you think that? But, I guess telling you wouldn't hurt anything." He walked over to the table, and picked up a needle. It had a pale green mixture in it. "It was much like this here. Hallucinogens mixed with a heavy sedative, that has melted Kryptonite in it. Now, if you don't mind I would like to ask the questions from now on."

Lionel pulled up a stool, and sat on it not far from where Clark was lying on the floor. "Still feeling weak? I'm sure that the Kryptonite hasn't fully gotten out of your system yet. And…" Lionel trailed off as he stuck a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of meteor. "This might have something to do with it as well."

Clark winced as the Kryptonite was pulled out, not that it hurt him any more. It just bothered him that it was around. The glow that it produced around him sickened him. It was running off of his own energy. Draining it just to throw off a faint glow.

"Mr. Kent." Clark's train of thought broke as Lionel again started questioning him. "Just where is Krypton? Why did you leave?"

"If you know everything like you claim, than you should know the answer!" Clark spat out.

Lionel clicked his tongue as if he cared. "I'm sorry to hear you say that Mr. Kent." He again raised up the needle filled with his little concoction. "Sweet dreams." He got off the stool and squatted next to Clark. Clark tried to get away, but he was too tired. The needle was jammed into his neck, and Lionel pressed the mixture into his body. As he pulled it out, he wiggled it a bit just to add more discomfort.

Clark tried not to let the drugs take effect. But, his world was growing blurry, and his eyelids were quickly getting heavier. As the Kryptonite found his blood stream, he let out a low moan. It hurt like hell. Someone might as well have liquefied fire and poured that into his system. It might not have hurt as much.

Lionel's smirk was the last thing he saw before he gave in, and fell unconscious.

Clark yawned. He looked over at Lana who was sitting on the recliner on the other side of the plane. iWe only just took off 20 minutes ago. Don't get tired out yet, Kent. It's a long way to Paris./i "So, Lana, did you tell your friend we were on our way?"

Lana looked up, and smiled. "Yeah, I told her before we took off. She'll be at the airport when we get there." She walked over, and sat on the couch by Clark. "It was nice of Lex to lend us his plane, you know."

Clark yawned again. "I know. I am not going to like this flight. How many hours is it again?"

Lana opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off as a loud clanking could be heard from one of the engines. The plane seemed to hit some turbulence, and started shaking wildly. Lana looked at Clark with wide eyes, before losing her balance and was thrown across the plane. She hit the wall hard, and didn't move.

Things that were in the plane were crashing to the floor. Some of Lex's scotch, wine glasses, luggage, and more flew everywhere. The glass shattered and scattered over the floor.

The pilot opened the door, and started to yell at Clark. Any human wouldn't have been able to hear over the roar of the failing engine. But, Clark heard just fine. "The engine's blown! We have to jump! The parachu-" The plane's door blew open, and the pilot was out of the craft before he could finish his sentence, falling to his death.

iWhere did this go wrong/i He thought, as he checked on Lana. iNo. Oh, God, no. NO/i She wasn't breathing. She didn't have a pulse. The plane tilted towards to it's left side, and the gapping hole where the door used to be came close as Clark fell towards it. He tried to make his way back to Lana, but before he could…

She had fallen out the plane. "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" iThis bcan't/b be happening! The pilot. Lana…/i She was gone. Lana was gone, and she wasn't coming back.

Clark was flipped over his head as the plane finally made contact with ground. But, when he landed it actually hurt. Shards of glass dug into his skin. The plane tilted and fell more, tossing Clark three feet away. Before he could even catch his breath, the couch he and Lana had been sitting on crashed into him, knocking him unconscious.

Lionel watched as Clark thrashed on the floor, sweating and yelling things that no one could understand. iIt's the perfect torture. Let the victims own mind make them suffer, and do things that I can't even think of./i He thought. Looking over to a man in a white lab coat standing nearby, Lionel cleared his throat. "How long will he be out? I only gave him half as much as last time." He asked when Clark's cries had suddenly stopped.

The doctor, or maybe even scientist, thought for a moment. "Oh, another hour or so Mr. Luthor. Plenty of time for him to go through more." He had said it so casually, it was almost scary.

"Good. When he wakes up, get me immediately." He than walked out, leaving the drugged Clark with two guards, and the doctor. As he left, Clark screamed again.

Clark blinked his eyes, but squeezed them shut again when blood flew into them. He tried to get up, but something heavy was on top of his stomach. iThe couch./i He thought bitterly. Than, he remembered what had happened to Lana. Tears mixed with the blood.

Something crashed into his leg, making him scream. Whatever it was, it was sharp and painful. He couldn't see beyond the couch, but he wasn't sure he wanted to. He let out another yell of pain as the couch shifted a little underneath him, digging into his chest. His breathing became harsh, and jagged as the couch began to block the room his lungs needed to fill with air.

The doctor had been writing something on a chart, when he heard Clark wheezing for breath. Looking up, he saw that the boy was beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen. He glanced at one of the guards. "Get Mr. Luthor, now!" The man quickly fled the room.

"Ok, doc. What's wrong? What's wrong…" He said to himself. "There wasn't too much Kryptonite…" Than he realized the truth. "The dream! His body is reacting to the dream. All right, what did the professor say about lucid dreams?" He gritted his teeth, remembering how he used to goof off in med school. "Wonderful timing to realize your should have been paying attention. Get me a ventilator!" He demanded, knowing the second guard was supposed to do whatever he told him.

"Ok, Clark. Come on. Come on, breath!" He began rescue breathing, but wasn't getting any response.

Lionel ran into the room just than. "What is going on!" He saw the still, blue form of Clark on the floor. "What the hell is wrong with him, Jack?"

Jack, for that was the doctor's name, just sighed. "Sometimes, when you are having a lucid dream, your body reacts to whatever is happening in the dream. Apparently, our friend here is dreaming that he can't breath. And, I can't get him to respond to rescue breathing, either."

The second guard had returned, carrying a portable ventilator that he had gotten from the medical closet that Jack kept his supplies in. The doctor quickly hooked it up, putting the tube to Clark's nose. "Ok, come on. Breathe!" Jack half-way yelled to the unconscious boy.

He turned on the ventilator, and it pushed air into Clark's lungs. He started getting his color back, when for some reason the machine just stopped.

"What the hell?" Jack studied the machine for a moment. "The damn battery leaked fluid all inside it! " He ripped the tube out of Clark's nose, and started to blow air into his mouth once again. In between breaths, he looked up at Lionel. "Sir, you better hope for a miracle, because I don't think he'll survive without one."


End file.
